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BSO - what is a real bike?
- Thread starter gerryattrick
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With 4 radarlings I get to see a lot of kids bikes. Hobbiton on the water is quite well heeled, lots of people moving into the village because of the walking/running/riding possibilities.
Most of the kids bikes I see are generally okay - Decathlon bikes are well put together and at a good price point (from a parent point of view). I fixed up a neighbour's son's bike the other day - shonky and dangerous brakes. I told them that the bike's brakes were very iffy, and the bike looked good in a bling sense but the components were pants. A supermarket special. He's getting a new bike for his birthday now....
As a parent we worry ourselves to death about keeping our kids safe,yet unknowingly many people put their children on BSO deathtraps. Brakes and pedals are where the corners are being cut. Decent brakes don't cost the earth.
Most of the kids bikes I see are generally okay - Decathlon bikes are well put together and at a good price point (from a parent point of view). I fixed up a neighbour's son's bike the other day - shonky and dangerous brakes. I told them that the bike's brakes were very iffy, and the bike looked good in a bling sense but the components were pants. A supermarket special. He's getting a new bike for his birthday now....
As a parent we worry ourselves to death about keeping our kids safe,yet unknowingly many people put their children on BSO deathtraps. Brakes and pedals are where the corners are being cut. Decent brakes don't cost the earth.
kids bikes were always death traps
remember your attempts BITD ?
sannys for brakes ,coke can shims to hold your renthal trials bike bars in place ,5 up on a chopper down the kirk brae ,jumpers for goal posts etc
extending forks by cutting another pair up and bolting them on the origonal forks , with roofing bolts ,that kid with the "block" pedals cos his bike was too big , your 23" tenspeed at the age of 12 & 5'3"
and on and on
remember your attempts BITD ?
sannys for brakes ,coke can shims to hold your renthal trials bike bars in place ,5 up on a chopper down the kirk brae ,jumpers for goal posts etc
extending forks by cutting another pair up and bolting them on the origonal forks , with roofing bolts ,that kid with the "block" pedals cos his bike was too big , your 23" tenspeed at the age of 12 & 5'3"
and on and on
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Don't know the price point of a BSO but always thought MBUK were correct bitd when they said mtb's under £300 were not worth bothering with for an adult. Probably holds up now as much as then.
Childrens bikes are different as they don't usually have take as much punishment. Some of the really cheap bikes are shocking. :roll:
Childrens bikes are different as they don't usually have take as much punishment. Some of the really cheap bikes are shocking. :roll:
Just because the BSO in the original post stood up to years of abuse does not mean it was a proper bike. There are loads of quality bikes here on RetroBike that have stood up to years of abuse and have yet to end up on the scrap heap. Last summer I rode a 75 year old Schwinn down the black run at Innerleithen, something I would not do on a BSO. I value my original teeth as much as my bike.
gerryattrick
Retrobike Rider
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OK. Just got back in and read the replies to my thread and I know when I'm beaten. I take the point about the very cheap sort of stuff you get in wholesale stores/supermarkets etc. and how some shops don't know how to set up a bike correctly or safely - not always the fault of the manufacturer.
Given the fact that many such bikes are not suitable for off track use, but are OK otherwise, perhaps they ought to be called MBSOs.
Thanks for the info LGF, and I'm working hard on that chip!
Given the fact that many such bikes are not suitable for off track use, but are OK otherwise, perhaps they ought to be called MBSOs.
Thanks for the info LGF, and I'm working hard on that chip!
20mins is the allocated time to assemble and pre delivery inspect a bike at you know where . It doesn't take into account the time your also spending making number plates , answering the phone to someone who wants an mot and fitting wiper blades . It wouldn't be so bad if they came from the factory in a half decent state , they might as well throw the parts in the box and leave it to whoever opens it to build from scratch .
People always think it's cycling elitism but nobody here will say you must spend x amount to get a good bike , sure there is a point where a bike stops being made from plastic and iron but you can easily spend your £100 on a 2nd hand bike that will be more than adequate and last more than the 6 months the bso will .
What always amused me was in that large store I don't mention all the advertising stuff like the signs posters etc come in boxes marked p.o.s . It stands for point of sale but every time I saw it I just thought piece of shit
My first mtb was a townsend saratoga , I think it cost my mum all of £120 and it was still significantly better than the same priced bikes today ( lets ignore inflation ) it was just a normal rigid bike with cantis , I put that thing together myself and didn't have any more problems with it than if it had cost a bit more . I put it's durability down to it being so simple , nothing went wrong because there was nothing to go wrong . Look at a bso today and it's trying to be a boingy bike with discs . You have to be pretty fat in the head to see something with that kind of stuff at those kinds of prices and think " oh that will last " .
I think a lot of the hatred of bso's is not just the bikes but also that people will blindly wander into a shop with absolutely no idea of what they need or want . I've had conversations along the lines of -
" hello "
" I'd like to buy a bike "
" ok , er , what will you be using it for "
" I'm going to be riding to work "
" oh ( wanders towards the road bikes ) how about something like these "
" I don't like those , I want something that can go offroad "
" how about one of these hybrids , they use a 700c wheel from a road bike with a 32 tyre so it'll still ride over a bit of dirt "
" ha , I'm not having one of those , old people ride those "
" :roll: we do have these slick tyred mtb's , slightly different geometry but essentially still a mtb but for commuting use "
" that looks ok , how much is it ? "
" currently £280 "
" how much ! , I don't want to spend that , what about that red one over there , it's got £90 on the ticket "
The guy has obviously spotted the boingy bso :cry: at this point I'll either try and get someone else to take over as each time a little part of me dies or I'll " check the computer " and say we don't have any , saving the guy £90 on something completely unsuitable and only fit for weighing in and of course myself from having to unbox the fooking thing
It's great that people want to cycle to work and It's something about cycling I love and believe in but when you throw some numbers around you really need to spend more than pocket change .
If someone want's a bike to ride say 5 miles to work , that's 10 miles a day , 50 miles a week , 200 a month . If we say that the bike will get 6 months of use that's 1200 miles . Divide the £100 bike over that 6 months gives us something like 8.3pence ( unless I'm being thick ) lets just say 10p a day . I would rather and think I would have a better time by pushing 10p up my bum each day . 10p a day for something to get you to work is incredibly cheap , we could bump that up to 50p a day which I don't think is an unreasonable amount for getting to work and back but try and tell someone that a bike under about £300 new is utter shite and they think your a cycle snob or elitist
The £500 work bike ( omg £500 ! ) will last a lot longer than 6 months , sure some stuff will be worn out but consumable stuff like tyres , cables , pads cost roughly the same whether it's a bso or something a little better . The £500 bike could reasonably last a year and a half , likely more and because it is made properly and can last the cost per mile wouldn't be far off that 10p a day in the end .
People always think it's cycling elitism but nobody here will say you must spend x amount to get a good bike , sure there is a point where a bike stops being made from plastic and iron but you can easily spend your £100 on a 2nd hand bike that will be more than adequate and last more than the 6 months the bso will .
What always amused me was in that large store I don't mention all the advertising stuff like the signs posters etc come in boxes marked p.o.s . It stands for point of sale but every time I saw it I just thought piece of shit
My first mtb was a townsend saratoga , I think it cost my mum all of £120 and it was still significantly better than the same priced bikes today ( lets ignore inflation ) it was just a normal rigid bike with cantis , I put that thing together myself and didn't have any more problems with it than if it had cost a bit more . I put it's durability down to it being so simple , nothing went wrong because there was nothing to go wrong . Look at a bso today and it's trying to be a boingy bike with discs . You have to be pretty fat in the head to see something with that kind of stuff at those kinds of prices and think " oh that will last " .
I think a lot of the hatred of bso's is not just the bikes but also that people will blindly wander into a shop with absolutely no idea of what they need or want . I've had conversations along the lines of -
" hello "
" I'd like to buy a bike "
" ok , er , what will you be using it for "
" I'm going to be riding to work "
" oh ( wanders towards the road bikes ) how about something like these "
" I don't like those , I want something that can go offroad "
" how about one of these hybrids , they use a 700c wheel from a road bike with a 32 tyre so it'll still ride over a bit of dirt "
" ha , I'm not having one of those , old people ride those "
" :roll: we do have these slick tyred mtb's , slightly different geometry but essentially still a mtb but for commuting use "
" that looks ok , how much is it ? "
" currently £280 "
" how much ! , I don't want to spend that , what about that red one over there , it's got £90 on the ticket "
The guy has obviously spotted the boingy bso :cry: at this point I'll either try and get someone else to take over as each time a little part of me dies or I'll " check the computer " and say we don't have any , saving the guy £90 on something completely unsuitable and only fit for weighing in and of course myself from having to unbox the fooking thing
It's great that people want to cycle to work and It's something about cycling I love and believe in but when you throw some numbers around you really need to spend more than pocket change .
If someone want's a bike to ride say 5 miles to work , that's 10 miles a day , 50 miles a week , 200 a month . If we say that the bike will get 6 months of use that's 1200 miles . Divide the £100 bike over that 6 months gives us something like 8.3pence ( unless I'm being thick ) lets just say 10p a day . I would rather and think I would have a better time by pushing 10p up my bum each day . 10p a day for something to get you to work is incredibly cheap , we could bump that up to 50p a day which I don't think is an unreasonable amount for getting to work and back but try and tell someone that a bike under about £300 new is utter shite and they think your a cycle snob or elitist
The £500 work bike ( omg £500 ! ) will last a lot longer than 6 months , sure some stuff will be worn out but consumable stuff like tyres , cables , pads cost roughly the same whether it's a bso or something a little better . The £500 bike could reasonably last a year and a half , likely more and because it is made properly and can last the cost per mile wouldn't be far off that 10p a day in the end .
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